Ahhhhh...who doesn't love a good power ranking? Hundreds are made after every basketball season trying to predict how the next one will play out. If you grimaced after reading that last sentence than you know that it's a fool’s errand. No matter the advanced stats or metrics used to ascertain the offensive/defensive efficiency of a team, there are too many variables in place to swing a basketball season. These include chemistry, coaching, bench production, or even the work ethic/will to win of the players. Despite the pure foolishness of the task I decided I would bite and try my hand at ranking the current 30 NBA teams myself…yet with some very large twists. This isn’t your average 1-30 ranking with some short description. Rather, I divided the best players in the NBA into three separate tiers, each followed by a point level. I know it is very opinion based but it gives a good insight into where a team stands. It shows us if a team has all its bases covered. For instance, does it have a top tier point guard, a bruising big man, and some elite wing players? What about a top tier bench along with a proven coach? This point system shows us all that.
Before you proceed to the actual rankings and/or fall asleep let me tell you how I devised such a system. I’m an avid reader of http://www.nfl.com/, and senior analyst Mike Lombardi is one of my favorite writers of all things NFL on the planet. He came up with a system a couple years ago in which he organizes the best players in the NFL into Red Chip (the best) and Blue Chip (elite but slightly below red chip) levels and assigns point values to each position under both the red chip and blue chip levels. What results is a clear indicator of where a team stands and how successful it will be over the course of the coming season. It’s an ingenious system in my opinion; far superior to your average power ranking. After reading Lombardi’s column pertaining to the 2010-2011 season I wondered whether I could create such a system for the NBA. I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into….
After several failed attempts I feel like I finally settled on the best way for converting the system to work for basketball. Instead of just having two levels (red chip and blue chip) I created three tiers for the best basketball players in the world to fall under. Because of the far fewer positions played on the basketball court I thought it was necessary to expand to three levels for greater variety. After starting with just two it became clear that there were some players that did just not belong in tier two but needed to be on the list somewhere. Hence the three tiers of basketball were born.
I also gave teams points if I believed they had a top tier coach, top tier bench, had a superstar on their team (yes it’s a bit subjective…sue me), or had a top 8 offense, and top eight defense. In addition, I subtracted some points if a team had a bottom five offense or defense. What results is a highly convoluted, opinionated, subjective, yet fairly accurate assessment of where all 30 NBA teams stand heading into the 2010-2011 season.
Rules/Guidelines
Tier 1 players (12 points) Tier 2 players (7 points) Tier 3 players (4 points) Top Tier Coaches (+6 points) Superstar (+5 points) Top Tier Bench (+8 points) Top 8 Defense (+8 points) bottom 5 offense (-4 points) top 8 offense (+4 points)
SUPERSTARS: Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard
NOTE: I realize this is a subjective ranking and some may have different players in mind that they consider superstars but these five unarguably qualify for that title. Because these players are so damn good and essentially guarantee their respective teams a playoff spot I felt they deserved some extra points.
TOP EIGHT OFFENSE (2009-2010): Suns, Warriors, Nuggets, Jazz, Raptors, Magic, Grizzlies, Rockets
TOP EIGHT DEFENSE (2009-2010): Bobcats, Heat, Trailblazers, Magic, Celtics, Cavaliers, Bucks, Spurs
TOP TIER COACHES: Doc Rivers, Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan, Greg Popovich
TOP TIER BENCHES: Magic, Nuggets, Suns, Lakers
Tier 1
Shooting Guard: Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy
Point Guard: Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, Deron Williams, Steve Nash
Center: Dwight Howard, Andrew Bogut, Brooke Lopez
Power Forward: Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitski, Tim Duncan, Pao Gasol, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Ama’re Stoudemire
Small Forward: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Gerald Wallace
Tier 2
Shooting Guard: Joe Johnson, Monta Ellis, Ray Allen, Manu Ginobli, Kevin Martin, Tyreke Evans
Point Guard: Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Chauncey Billups, Jason Kidd, Tony Parker, Stephen Curry
Center: Joakim Noah, Andrew Bynum, Al Horford
Power Forward: Kevin Garnett, Josh Smith, David Lee, Zach Randolph
Small Forward: Paul Pierce, Danny Granger
Tier 3
Shooting Guard: Mike Miller, J.R Smith, Stephen Jackson, Jamal Crawford, Andre Igoudala, J.J Redick, O.J Mayo, Jason Terry, Mo Williams, Vince Carter, Jason Richardson, Eric Gordon
Point Guard: Jameer Nelson, Aaron Brooks, Brandon Jennings, Rodney Stuckey, Ty Lawson, Andre Miller
Center: Kenderick Perkins, Anderson Varejao, Marcus Camby, Al Jefferson, Robin Lopez, Brendan Haywood, Marc Gasol, Mehmet Okur, Andrea Bargnani, Chris Kaman
Power Forward: David West, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rashard Lewis, Lamar Odom, Carl Landry, Louis Scola, Kevin Love, Jeff Green, Troy Murphy, Andray Blatche
Small Forward: Rudy Gay, Ron Artest, Grant Hill, Trevor Ariza, Loul Deng, Caron Butler
LAKERS: 58
No surprises here; The Lakers possess the strongest starting five in the game today. They have two top tier players in Bryant and Gasol, one of the five best coaches of all time, a solid bench bolstered by the addition of Steve Blake, a superb defense, and an above average offense. All that combined equals the NBA’s best team even though it might not have the flair of the new look Miami Heat.
MAGIC: 53
Again, an extremely solid team that has all its bases covered. They have the world’s best big man, surrounded by a stable of long range bombers. It’s a wonder that the Boston Celtics actually beat this team this past season. Look for the Magic to contend for a championship again in 2010-2011 (…or Dwight Howard to improve his much maligned post moves, or lack there-of.)
HEAT: 50
The Heat went from Dwyane Wade and homeless people in basketball uniforms to Dwyane Wade and two of the best basketball players in the game today. OF course this team was going to grab a ton of points, with two superstars and a Tier one power forward. The big question (one this formula doesn’t account for) is how the players will all mesh together, and whether they can get some defensive stops. Although they were a top eight defensive team last year, it is hard for me to believe they will be once again with the addition of the all offense, no defense Chris Bosh. With no elite defensive big man, and only small Dwyane Wade and LeBron James holding down the fort I’m not sure how this team will stop opponents from scoring all over them. Of course, with Wade, James, and Bosh all on the same team it wouldn’t surprise me if they score 115-118 points per game.
CELTICS: 47
Oh, the Celtics…how I love thee. Oh, Celtics…how old can thy get? As Bill Simmons aptly put it, the 2010-2011 Boston Celtics…your all corpse team! Despite their advanced age though, I think the Celtics can hang in there for one more year. Hopefully Nate Robinson will be given a little more free reign (did I really just say that?) and with the addition of Diesel and Jermaine the C’s post game might improve just a little. If the team could just improve their offense a bit who knows what could happen? Oh, and if they coast through the regular season one more time I truly fear for the safety of my television.
Well, there you have the top four teams, and considering this column is already too long I will save the other 26 for my next installment…
Friday, August 6, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Some Thoughts on NBA Free Agency, sorry "LeBron-gency"
For every decade that passes there is ultimately a team that dominates it…The Bulls of the 90’s, the showtime Lakers of the 80’s, the Spurs of this past decade. These teams had several things in common that resulted in their success. All contained one transcendent player…the alpha dog, the type of player that will be remembered forever in which stories will be passed down from generation to generation. Along with the alpha dog were one or two other dominant players who performed crucial roles on the team yet ultimately bowed down to the alpha player. That forms the basis of a dynastic team and seems to be the blueprint by which all great teams follow. Look at the Lakers that just won the title. Superstar Kobe Bryant is undoubtedly the leader of the team…the man that carries it on his back when a game turns sour. Supporting Bryant is Pao Gasol, a true second fiddle to Bryant’s stardom who has been able to thrive on a super talented team. Around that core are a handful of solid role players who perform their roles admirably. Although they don’t own the glory like Bryant or Gasol they provide crucial skills such as rebounding/shot blocking (Bynum), lock-down defense (Artest), veteran savvy/3-point shooting (Fischer), and a bench that is capable of providing bursts of energy when the starters need rest. Why am I telling you this? Because a new dynasty may be forming, but not the one you think.
Within the next 36 hours a new NBA hierarchy will be created, a new team coronated as the 2010-2011 season favorites. As the NBA free agency period threatens to quiet down once the main stars are signed we will be able to witness the possible commencement of a dynasty. What happens in the next 2,160 minutes will shape how the following 10 years of professional basketball play out. One might wonder why this free agency period is so different from ones past; after all it happens every summer like in all pro sports. Yet this summer two supernaturally gifted players are up for grabs in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. These two peerless players have a real chance to go down as some of the best to ever touch a basketball. LeBron James has already accumulated over 15,000 points, and 3,800 boards and assists in a mere seven NBA seasons. With those staggering numbers he seems the heir apparent to Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson as an exceptionally diverse and skilled player.
Another marquee free agent on the market is Dwyane Wade, who although has been overshadowed by the “The LeBron Sweepstakes” is a highly coveted player. Like LeBron he possesses stunning numbers such as averaging an unsightly 30 points, 7.5 boards, 5 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 2.5 steals while carrying an abysmal 08’-09’ Heat team to a fifth seed in the playoffs-no small feat when your best big man is Michael “Bust” Beasley and the man running point is Mario “Super Nintendo” Chalmers. Wade has shown the capability to carry awful teams to excellent results in the past, so who knows what will happen if he finally lands on a team with some solid building blocks in place. That dream may become a reality as Wade and fellow star Chris Bosh have already teamed up in Miami with Lebron James a possibility to follow.
But is this a good thing? Are three of the best players in the game today playing on the same team good or bad for the NBA? And will it work? Here are four thoughts on the summer of LeBron and the ensuing pandemonium:
1. Never before have two alpha dog type players played on the same team. NEVER. And Dwayne Wade plus LeBron James certainly fit that bill. What happens in crunch time, down by four when the team absolutely, unequivocally needs a bucket? The ball goes in the hands of the team’s best player of course and you let him go to work. But what happens between Wade and James? Wouldn’t they both want the ball, doesn’t it seem like there is a possibility of quite a rift opening up? Look at the U.S vs. Spain game in the 08’ summer Olympics. Spain was red hot and the U.S was in trouble. There were a couple of minutes of everyone looking around wondering what to do…not wanting to step on each other’s toes, until Kobe Bryant decided he had enough and went to work dismantling the Spaniards. The big question is will either James or Wade defer to the other? Because one of them will have to…only one emperor ruled Rome, only one alpha male leads a pack of wolves, only one player leads a basketball team to a championship.
2. Miami certainly has the cap room to sign James, Bosh, and Wade…but signing all three means that the Heat will have next to no room to sign complementary players. This takes us to the next big question: Can three of the best players in the game today win a title(s) all by themselves? At first glance it seems to be a silly question. Those three are veritable gods of the court…with those three playing basketball together a better question might be what couldn’t they accomplish? But there will be a heavy burden on them…like having to play 43-44 minutes per night, and having to play at an exceptional level every night….ALL 3 to win. It is a staggering proposition for three young players and it might not have a storybook ending like some people predict if they do indeed form this triumvirate. Furthermore what team has even found success without relying on a stable of skilled role players that perform the crucial specialized tasks championship-caliber teams need? It just doesn’t happen, so James, Wade, and Bosh would need to buck some long proven trends.
3. I’ve talked a lot about the possible creation of a dynasty if Bosh, Wade, and James join forces. Bosh and Wade have already committed to Miami, but there is still a real possibility that James stays in Cleveland or even goes elsewhere (How’s that for the shelf-life of a story?). For instance, going to Chicago would be in James’s best interest if he wants titles. Although it sounds great to team up with 2 all-stars, Chicago already has a star point guard in Derrick Rose, an elite rebounding/defensive center in Noah, and a proven big man in Carlos Boozer. If James is truly thinking dynasty than Chicago is where it will happen. If all he cares about is winning like previous greats did in Jordan, Bird, Magic (etc.) than Chicago is the only logical destination. Plus, don’t you think joining forces with Wade and Bosh is almost a cop-out? Here are two of James’s biggest rivals, yet he considers joining forces with them? Whatever happened to the days of such heated competition in which players could barely speak to each other before games? Think of the great rivalries between Bird and Magic, Russell and Wilt, Laimbeer and Kareem. Would those greats ever join forces with their biggest competition? Of course not! They wanted to grind their rivals into the dust, to show the world they were better than them, to sniff out and eliminate any and all competition so there was no doubt that they were the best player of their era. Thus far I’m not really sure if James is wired that way, if he really wants to be the greatest ever, if he REALLY wants it. If he does, then he will not sign with the Miami Heat. With Chicago, Cleveland, hell even the Knicks he has the opportunity to carve his own path to the pantheon of greats and to strike down any rivals. Only time will tell whether he has the nasty streak to carve his way, or whether he will settle for playing with his biggest rivals in the hope that they will carry him towards a title.
4. As is common knowledge by now, LeBron James has decided he will announce his free agency decision to the world on ESPN on a nationally televised program. If he announces that he will be leaving Cleveland does that qualify as the cruelest fate a city has ever received pertaining to sports? Name something worse….anything yet?....now?......nope. It’s a despicable thing to do and my heart yearns for the good basketball fans of Cleveland. Of course James could decide to stay put and all will be well and good, but the possibility looms large that he will leave. And if he does the city of Cleveland will never forgive him. Never. And they shouldn’t, it is one thing to leave a team in free agency for greener pastures, and a whole other thing to make it into a nationally televised event. It’s hard to put into perspective what a LeBron departure would mean for Cleveland, but in no way is it good. LeBron IS the Cleveland Cavaliers…if he leaves, say hello to the lottery Cleveland.
If you’re an NBA fan this is a big freaken summer…not just big, monstrously titanic. Epic. Commodious. Voluminous. Gargantuan. Just pick an adjective…I’m sure it will work. Two super-duper stars are free agents…there is only a handful of super-duper stars in the whole league and two are up for grabs. This is unprecedented; some teams will be set for the next decade…others screwed for the next two. As a Celtics fan I’m scared, as an NBA fan I’m absolutely giddy.
Within the next 36 hours a new NBA hierarchy will be created, a new team coronated as the 2010-2011 season favorites. As the NBA free agency period threatens to quiet down once the main stars are signed we will be able to witness the possible commencement of a dynasty. What happens in the next 2,160 minutes will shape how the following 10 years of professional basketball play out. One might wonder why this free agency period is so different from ones past; after all it happens every summer like in all pro sports. Yet this summer two supernaturally gifted players are up for grabs in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. These two peerless players have a real chance to go down as some of the best to ever touch a basketball. LeBron James has already accumulated over 15,000 points, and 3,800 boards and assists in a mere seven NBA seasons. With those staggering numbers he seems the heir apparent to Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson as an exceptionally diverse and skilled player.
Another marquee free agent on the market is Dwyane Wade, who although has been overshadowed by the “The LeBron Sweepstakes” is a highly coveted player. Like LeBron he possesses stunning numbers such as averaging an unsightly 30 points, 7.5 boards, 5 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 2.5 steals while carrying an abysmal 08’-09’ Heat team to a fifth seed in the playoffs-no small feat when your best big man is Michael “Bust” Beasley and the man running point is Mario “Super Nintendo” Chalmers. Wade has shown the capability to carry awful teams to excellent results in the past, so who knows what will happen if he finally lands on a team with some solid building blocks in place. That dream may become a reality as Wade and fellow star Chris Bosh have already teamed up in Miami with Lebron James a possibility to follow.
But is this a good thing? Are three of the best players in the game today playing on the same team good or bad for the NBA? And will it work? Here are four thoughts on the summer of LeBron and the ensuing pandemonium:
1. Never before have two alpha dog type players played on the same team. NEVER. And Dwayne Wade plus LeBron James certainly fit that bill. What happens in crunch time, down by four when the team absolutely, unequivocally needs a bucket? The ball goes in the hands of the team’s best player of course and you let him go to work. But what happens between Wade and James? Wouldn’t they both want the ball, doesn’t it seem like there is a possibility of quite a rift opening up? Look at the U.S vs. Spain game in the 08’ summer Olympics. Spain was red hot and the U.S was in trouble. There were a couple of minutes of everyone looking around wondering what to do…not wanting to step on each other’s toes, until Kobe Bryant decided he had enough and went to work dismantling the Spaniards. The big question is will either James or Wade defer to the other? Because one of them will have to…only one emperor ruled Rome, only one alpha male leads a pack of wolves, only one player leads a basketball team to a championship.
2. Miami certainly has the cap room to sign James, Bosh, and Wade…but signing all three means that the Heat will have next to no room to sign complementary players. This takes us to the next big question: Can three of the best players in the game today win a title(s) all by themselves? At first glance it seems to be a silly question. Those three are veritable gods of the court…with those three playing basketball together a better question might be what couldn’t they accomplish? But there will be a heavy burden on them…like having to play 43-44 minutes per night, and having to play at an exceptional level every night….ALL 3 to win. It is a staggering proposition for three young players and it might not have a storybook ending like some people predict if they do indeed form this triumvirate. Furthermore what team has even found success without relying on a stable of skilled role players that perform the crucial specialized tasks championship-caliber teams need? It just doesn’t happen, so James, Wade, and Bosh would need to buck some long proven trends.
3. I’ve talked a lot about the possible creation of a dynasty if Bosh, Wade, and James join forces. Bosh and Wade have already committed to Miami, but there is still a real possibility that James stays in Cleveland or even goes elsewhere (How’s that for the shelf-life of a story?). For instance, going to Chicago would be in James’s best interest if he wants titles. Although it sounds great to team up with 2 all-stars, Chicago already has a star point guard in Derrick Rose, an elite rebounding/defensive center in Noah, and a proven big man in Carlos Boozer. If James is truly thinking dynasty than Chicago is where it will happen. If all he cares about is winning like previous greats did in Jordan, Bird, Magic (etc.) than Chicago is the only logical destination. Plus, don’t you think joining forces with Wade and Bosh is almost a cop-out? Here are two of James’s biggest rivals, yet he considers joining forces with them? Whatever happened to the days of such heated competition in which players could barely speak to each other before games? Think of the great rivalries between Bird and Magic, Russell and Wilt, Laimbeer and Kareem. Would those greats ever join forces with their biggest competition? Of course not! They wanted to grind their rivals into the dust, to show the world they were better than them, to sniff out and eliminate any and all competition so there was no doubt that they were the best player of their era. Thus far I’m not really sure if James is wired that way, if he really wants to be the greatest ever, if he REALLY wants it. If he does, then he will not sign with the Miami Heat. With Chicago, Cleveland, hell even the Knicks he has the opportunity to carve his own path to the pantheon of greats and to strike down any rivals. Only time will tell whether he has the nasty streak to carve his way, or whether he will settle for playing with his biggest rivals in the hope that they will carry him towards a title.
4. As is common knowledge by now, LeBron James has decided he will announce his free agency decision to the world on ESPN on a nationally televised program. If he announces that he will be leaving Cleveland does that qualify as the cruelest fate a city has ever received pertaining to sports? Name something worse….anything yet?....now?......nope. It’s a despicable thing to do and my heart yearns for the good basketball fans of Cleveland. Of course James could decide to stay put and all will be well and good, but the possibility looms large that he will leave. And if he does the city of Cleveland will never forgive him. Never. And they shouldn’t, it is one thing to leave a team in free agency for greener pastures, and a whole other thing to make it into a nationally televised event. It’s hard to put into perspective what a LeBron departure would mean for Cleveland, but in no way is it good. LeBron IS the Cleveland Cavaliers…if he leaves, say hello to the lottery Cleveland.
If you’re an NBA fan this is a big freaken summer…not just big, monstrously titanic. Epic. Commodious. Voluminous. Gargantuan. Just pick an adjective…I’m sure it will work. Two super-duper stars are free agents…there is only a handful of super-duper stars in the whole league and two are up for grabs. This is unprecedented; some teams will be set for the next decade…others screwed for the next two. As a Celtics fan I’m scared, as an NBA fan I’m absolutely giddy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)